restaurant manager Career Center

What is a Restaurant Manager?

Managerial positions, regardless of industry, have a significant impact on the bottom line of the business. While this can put a bit of pressure on the shoulders of people in this position, it can also be incredibly rewarding. In the field of food preparation and service, there are additional pressures put on the manager, such as adherence to food safety requirements and menu creation. With all these extra expectations, you may wonder just what a restaurant manager is. 

If you are unsure of the answer to the question, “What is a restaurant manager?” here are a few facts about the job to give some added insight as to what these professionals do.

• They create an excellent customer experience – One of the most important functions of managers is to ensure their customers are always happy. This means properly training the entire crew, from the hostess to the busser. The manager oversees each and every person, and therefore it is his or her responsibility to make sure the staff is providing a high-quality experience to the customer base.
• They work with the cooking staff to create new menu options – Managers are also in charge of keeping their business innovative and exciting. By offering new menu choices and keeping the most popular choices, managers are able to have their customers return time and time again for their favorites, as well as to try new dishes.
• They do back-end business work - The jobs of balancing the books, creating schedules and hiring and firing employees fall on the shoulders of these professionals. It is up to them to create the schedule so that the restaurant is adequately staffed at all times. This, in turn, creates a better customer experience and a better business overall. If a person calls in sick or suddenly quits, it is the manager’s role to step up and fill that person’s shoes as best he or she can until he or she can find a replacement. In general, managers have their hands in all departments so that they can run the best business overall as efficiently as possible.
• They come up with new ways to increase their consumer base – Local marketing is also an important role for managers, since they are the ones who speak to the customers and interact with them on a regular basis. For this reason, many managers are given the authority to create their own specials and design their own events, such as tastings or themed evenings for holidays. This, in turn, draws in more customers and creates a more successful business in the long run.

Restaurant managers are truly jacks-of-all-trades. Their primary role is to create a positive experience for the customers, but in order to do that, they need to be sure their facility is properly staffed, employees are happy and that they continue to come up with new ideas to bring in more customers.